Beyond their recommendations for the new General Assembly, John Locke Foundation researchers were busy focusing on other topics this week. The Charlotte Observer interviewed Michael Sanera, Director of Research and Local Government Studies, for a report on targeted tax incentives awarded to SPX. The Charlotte Observer also quoted Joseph Coletti, Director of Health and Fiscal Policy Studies, in an article about a failed plan to secure federal aid for a project at a former Cabarrus County Philip Morris plant. Sanera and Coletti also participated in an American Legislative Exchange Council call on the Repeal Amendment, an effort to return more power to state governments. Coletti and Executive Vice President Kory Swanson attended the State Policy Network’s Federalism in Action Summit in Washington, D.C. In other news, WNCN Television interviewed Daren Bakst, Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies, about Durham’s proposal to accept the Mexican matricula consular as official identification. Bakst also detailed the matricula consular’s problems in a column picked up by the Lincoln Tribune and Beaufort Observer. He also discussed the issue with Chad Adams on the WLTT Radio morning show. (Examiner.com featured comments from communications director Mitch Kokai on the same topic.) The Shelby Star interviewed Bakst for a report about the legal recourse for holding wayward sheriffs accountable. A MasterResource.org blog entry about wind power cited Bakst’s earlier work on a national renewable energy standard. Bakst participated in a renewable energy panel discussion Thursday for the Wake County Sustainability Task Force. The latest Heritage Foundation “Insider” cited Bakst’s recent report on the governor’s executive order targeting state regulations, along with Roy Cordato’s report on demand-side management. The N.C. Institute for Constitutional Law highlighted a Carolina Journal article featuring analysis from Terry Stoops, Director of Education Studies, about the latest plans for revising North Carolina’s public school social studies standards.